Dr. Anthony Fauci is linking the sudden uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases among President Donald Trump and his top aides to an event the White House held late last month.
CBS News’ Steven Portnoy noted during his interview with Fauci on Friday, most of the president’s aides have not worn masks until recently.
He asked Fauci what Americans have learned about the efficacy of masks in preventing the spread of the virus.
“Well, I think the data speak for themselves. We had a superspreader event in the White House, and it was in a situation where people were crowded together and were not wearing masks,” Fauci said.
Listen to his comments below:
"We had a superspreader event at the White House," Fauci tells @CBSNewsRadio. "The data speak for themselves." pic.twitter.com/svnwkfr6Ag
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) October 9, 2020
Several of those who attended an event in the Rose Garden at the White House to celebrate President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court have tested positive for COVID-19.
Trump, his wife, Melania, his campaign manager, Bill Stepien, former counselor to Trump, Kellyanne Conway, Hope Hicks, a close adviser to the president, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany have all tested positive.
During American University’s Kennedy Political Union interview on Tuesday, Fauci argued the spread of the coronavirus throughout the White House could have been prevented, as IJR previously reported.
While Trump is adamant he has defeated the disease once and for all, Fauci is not so sure.
He told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Thursday Trump could experience a reversal of his condition, as IJR previously reported.
During his time on conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh’s show on Friday, Trump falsely claimed: “We have a cure” for the coronavirus.
Trump is not likely to return to the campaign trail until Monday, according to an administration official.
As of Friday afternoon, more than 7.6 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus, and more than 213,000 have died.